Madison News

Wis. Assembly Committee Approves Mascots Bill

MADISON, Wis. (AP) _ A legislative committee has approved a Republican bill that would make stripping public schools of race-based nicknames more difficult.

The Assembly government operations committee passed the bill on a 7-4 party-line vote Wednesday. The approval clears the way for a full Assembly vote. The chamber's Republican leaders have tentatively scheduled the vote for next week.

The proposal would require anyone who wants to change a nickname to get enough petition signatures from school district residents equal to at least a tenth of the number of students. The complainant would then have to prove the name promotes discrimination or stereotyping. The Department of Administration would make the final decision on whether the nickname must go. The bill also would erase all existing name-change orders from the state Department of Public Instruction.